Florida Panthers forward accused of headbutting Ranger player
Throughout their postseason run, the Florida Panthers have forced their physical brand of football on their opponents. They occasionally have been known to overstep such liberties, but astonishingly, they have never faced any consequences.
Ninety-three hits were exchanged between the Panthers and New York Rangers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, as the two teams continued their conflict. With a 2-1 triumph in overtime, the Rangers emerged victorious. Barclay Goodrow beat Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky with a shot that went barely under the crossbar.
The Rangers' night wasn't without its setbacks as they lost forward Jimmy Vesey in the second period following a hard hit from Panthers winger Ryan Lomberg. When Lomberg made contact with the puck, Vesey was far away from it. You may watch Lomberg use his own head to make contact with Vesey's in the video below. The play was not penalized in any way.
The Panthers' players are renowned for playing it safe, and throughout this postseason run, they have avoided any penalties on numerous occasions. Consider Sam Bennett's dubious hit on Brad Marchand, the captain of the Boston Bruins.
Marchand once quoted this when discussing playoff hockey:
'People don't want to say it but part of the playoffs is trying to hurt every player on the other team, and the more guys you take out, the more advantage your team has.'
This appears to be the Panthers' catchphrase during their 2023�24 postseason run.
The fact that Lomberg got away with this is disgusting and demonstrates just how low the bar has gone for NHL officiating.
| POLL | ||
Do you believe the Panthers are receiving favouritism from the referees? | ||
| Yes, they are getting away with everything | 27 | 40.3 % |
| No, just a bunch of whiners | 40 | 59.7 % |
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